# teas and your favorite blend of tobacco



## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

Ok I have to admit I've long been a coffee drinker. But 2 things I can't stand is bad coffee, and bad tobacco.
Now recently I've just discovered good teas. I'm founding that a good strong English/Irish breakfast tea pair up well to a Va/per. Where as a more softer fruitty Earl Grey will pair up really well to a straight Virginia blend.
Not sure on Burley blends, but most will say it pair up to coffee.
Latakia and Balkans just go with a good single malt, or a stout beer.
Anybody else pair their drinks up to their favorite pipe tobacco blends?
troy


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## hardcz (Aug 1, 2007)

I have a love or earl grey. I have several differnt brands, though overall they are all great. Beyond that, a normal every day english tea is great, I can't think of the name atm..

very tasty with milk/honey or without.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

I'm a fan of Lapsang Souchong. It's the Chinese tea equivalent of an Islay single malt.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

that sounds really good pair with a Latakia or balkan blend CQ


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

there's way too many Tea blenders who slap a english breakfast tea on their bags Dan. I think probley as many tea blends as tobacco blends ha


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## hardcz (Aug 1, 2007)

no no, it's english tea...

went and found it.


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Don't do hot teas but my sweet iced tea pairs nicely with a pipe or cigar.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

I guess I'm just a junky at heart. I like some decent nicotine content in my tobacco (with an occasional PA breather) and I want enough caffeine in my cup of whatever to matter. Tea has half the caffeine of coffee, so I'd have to drink twice as much. I like tea okay, especially iced tea with lots of lemon, but I prefer something a bit more stout. I know all the "tea people" will choke, but I do like a cup of Bigelow Constant Comment once in a great while. Not really TEA, per se, but it's an okay beverage. I'd rather have cheapo Salada for the iced tea base, though. Anything "good" in iced tea is like ground Kobe beef in a hamburger bun, with mustard and onions. An iced tea glass is to be drained as fast as possible, to slake a thirst in the summer after a heavy sweat. One does not savor a glass of iced tea. Which leads me to a story...

When I lived in England, in the mid 50s, England was still...English. Nowadays, you can all sorts of things there, even iced tea. The year was 1955, most likely, when we chose to dine out at the ritziest restaurant in Norwich, in the county of Norfolk. I was 12 and wanted iced tea. The waiter, dressed in TAILS :shock:, bent over and whispered in my ear (so as not to embarrass me), "I could bring it to you, Master (yeah, called me MASTER! :lol, but I don't think you'd like it." 

But it didn't end there. My brother and parents decided that sounded good to them too, so four iced teas it was, quickly brought to the table in the form of a cup of hot tea for each of us, complete with a rapidly disappearing ice cube. My father, doing his best to be understanding, explained that what we really wanted were glasses of iced tea, not cups -- and more ice. The waiter swiftly took away the cups and returned with the same tea now in glasses, with one more ice cube in each glass, creating lukewarm tea as it vanished. My father asked for more ice. "I'm sorry, Sir, that's all the ice we have in the house." Probably wouldn't run into that problem now.


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## Desertlifter (Feb 22, 2011)

Love coffee. And tea. And.....

Here are my preferred pairings - by overall category rather than blend on the tobacco side:

English / Balkan blends that are lighter on the Latakia - Earl Grey or one of several blends that are licorice and/or mint green teas.

Latakia heavy blends - Black Tea or Gunpowder (gunpowder is probably my favorite tea)

VA's, Navy Flakes in general, and VAPers - Red Tea or Mata with. Love Mata with FVF's

Aro's - Mata or orange pekoe

Lakelands - anything. Seriously - the Lakeland thing pairs with and gives a different experience with Earl Grey, Mata, Chamomile, Red Tea, Orange Pekoe....you get the picture.


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## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

Earl Grey tea is good any time, with any pipe.



freestoke said:


> But it didn't end there. My brother and parents decided that sounded good to them too, so four iced teas it was, quickly brought to the table in the form of a cup of hot tea for each of us, complete with a rapidly disappearing ice cube. My father, doing his best to be understanding, explained that what we really wanted were glasses of iced tea, not cups -- and more ice. The waiter swiftly took away the cups and returned with the same tea now in glasses, with one more ice cube in each glass, creating lukewarm tea as it vanished. My father asked for more ice. "I'm sorry, Sir, that's all the ice we have in the house." Probably wouldn't run into that problem now.


When I was a kid, in an Anglophile Australian household, that was the cliche about Americans: they turn the AC on full in the summer and the heater on full in the winter, so you have to wear winter clothes to work in Summer and vice versa (actually, that one came from an uncle who lived in Dallas and eventually became an American). And they put ice cubes in their tea.


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

I've tried warm/hot tea when I was younger and didn't care for it... But... I have been eye-balling the Earl Grey at the grocery stores lately and I don't even know why. I think it's time to give it a whirl again.


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## Andrewdk (Feb 3, 2011)

Irfan said:


> Earl Grey tea is good any time, with any pipe.
> 
> When I was a kid, in an Anglophile Australian household, that was the cliche about Americans: they turn the AC on full in the summer and the heater on full in the winter, so you have to wear winter clothes to work in Summer and vice versa (actually, that one came from an uncle who lived in Dallas and eventually became an American). And they put ice cubes in their tea.


I didn't realise you were a closet Aussie. I'm not going to query American habits as we string wine corks from our hats so who am I to talk I never drink tea other then when sick.

Freestoke if you are a caffeine addict and have not yet had the opportunity try Cuban coffee, it's pure diesel leaded rocket fuel, and tasty too.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Irfan said:


> ... they turn the AC on full in the summer and the heater on full in the winter, so *you have to wear winter clothes to work in Summer and vice versa *(actually, that one came from an uncle who lived in Dallas and eventually became an American). And they put ice cubes in their tea.


Really. Used to drive me nuts. If you can't stand it at 68 inside in the winter and 75 inside in the summer, you have a medical condition. It's seems like such an insane waste of energy, you'd think businesses would make it a policy to keep the thermostats under control. Seems I remember a law/regulation about that for government buildings under Carter, but that probably got quickly trampled under by the HVAC and energy lobbies when they realized it was cutting into profits. If it still exists, I'm certain almost nobody even knows about it, and if they did, they'd ignore it. Particularly galling for me when I worked was that the thermometer was always set to please, to put it bluntly, the fat people in the room. Everybody else would be freezing their butts off in sweaters, while the people in charge of the thermostat would be in short sleeved shirts.

And if there weren't all you sissified tea drinkers at work, we wouldn't need the extra device for hot water and waste of space in the cabinet for tea bags, and then if we could get rid of the decaf wimps, we'd only need the one big brewer for our cups of all-American joe. oke:


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## Contrabass Bry (May 3, 2010)

While having a bowl of Ennerdale the other morning, I was thinking how well a cup of Earl Grey would pair with said pipe.

We don't keep any tea on hand, we're straight-up coffee folks at our house! May just have to pick some up whist I finish this tin...


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## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

Andrewdk said:


> I didn't realise you were a closet Aussie.


Melbourne, born and bred. But been kicking around SEAsia for the past 20 years.



Andrewdk said:


> Freestoke if you are a caffeine addict and have not yet had the opportunity try Cuban coffee, it's pure diesel leaded rocket fuel, and tasty too.


If we're onto coffee, I'm gonna vote for Vietnamese coffee. Makes so much more sense to be colonized by the French (baguettes, good coffee, wine), than the Dutch (ummmm ... mashed potatoes?), like Indonesia was. The Vietnamese also sell cold beer from portable vats in the street for around ten cents a glass. A bit watery, but not bad on a hot day and safer than the water. The Czechs taught them how to make it.


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Andrew are you talking about Cuban grown beans or coffee prepared in the cuban style?

Turkish is my rocket fuel of choice. The stuff is so delicious, but more than one espresso cup and I'm levitating.


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

OH, OH! Here! I'm a hot tea drinker. Everyday at 3 pm! I love tea with my pipe. I think herbal teas are quite nice with light virginias but Earl Grey really brings out the citrus in many of them too. A good black (like PG) with an English is quite nice as well.

Excellent story, Jim. "Master?" Gone are the days!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

karatekyle said:


> OH, OH! Here! I'm a hot tea drinker. *Everyday at 3 pm! I love tea with my pipe*. I think herbal teas are quite nice with light virginias but Earl Grey really brings out the citrus in many of them too. A good black (like PG) with an English is quite nice as well.
> 
> Excellent story, Jim. "Master?" Gone are the days!


You've got to be part Limey, Kyle. :lol: "Hey, you up there! Get somebody to pull me out of this damn well!" "Oh dear! Bad cheese, old man! Hang on and I'll get to it right after tea."


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

freestoke said:


> You've got to be part Limey, Kyle. :lol: "Hey, you up there! Get somebody to pull me out of this damn well!" "Oh dear! Bad cheese, old man! Hang on and I'll get to it right after tea."


Truly the greatest compliment I've ever received :lol:


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

After 2 cups of Earl Grey, it perfect for Virginias . the fruit notes just sing with the grassish/hayish notes of straight up virginia or possilble a navy flake. heh.
well I will continue my adventures in the tea world. hmmmm I shall have to give PG tips a whirl


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## mcgreggor57 (Nov 3, 2011)

Interesting thread. Not a tea or coffee connoisseur by any stretch, but on the tea side I am hooked on the Tazo Awake in the Kurig. Iced is preferred, but hot hits the spot in the winter. I've never considered intentionally pairing a flavor profile with a baccy. Generally I drink tonic and lime. It acts as a palate cleanser and offers a refreshing taste. Looks like it's time to experiment.


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## Andrewdk (Feb 3, 2011)

Commander Quan said:


> Andrew are you talking about Cuban grown beans or coffee prepared in the cuban style?
> 
> Turkish is my rocket fuel of choice. The stuff is so delicious, but more than one espresso cup and I'm levitating.


I believe both have very similar flavour/effect however what I have had is the Cuban grown beans but i have heard a lot of good things about the Cuban style coffee available in the US.


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## RupturedDuck (Jan 11, 2012)

I do not mean this in any way as to a criticism for folks who do not subcribe to my take on this...I'm stating this as my own...not opinion as such...more as my life mantra.

Not a Tea Drinker. I drink coffee. Black. *shrug*. Oh, at lunch I'll have an Arnold Palmer, or during the day on the weekend I'll even take a lookey-see at a John Daley. But breakfast (and, rarely, after a great dinner with a neat Scotch) I enjoy a dark, bitter, strong cup of coffee.

IMHO (and I can be outspoken...I mean this only as how I experience life) coffee in the morning goes great with every tobacco I'm currently smoking.

RD


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## Nicolas J. Pug (Apr 21, 2009)

I recently started drinking hot tea after someone suggested I try it with cream and sugar. That's how I have drank my coffee since I was three or four. I prefer black, or Oolong for a little less caffeine. I think they pair well with VAs and VaPers, when the weather is cool.


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

RupturedDuck said:


> I drink coffee. Black. *shrug*. Oh, at lunch I'll have an Arnold Palmer, or during the day on the weekend I'll even take a lookey-see at a John Daley. But breakfast (and, rarely, after a great dinner with a neat Scotch) I enjoy a dark, bitter, strong cup of coffee.
> 
> IMHO (and I can be outspoken...I mean this only as how I experience life) coffee in the morning goes great with every tobacco I'm currently smoking.
> 
> RD


You and me both. I swear, burley and bitter "roasty" flavored coffee is the best breakfast in the world. I drink coffee in the AM, tea is only for an afternoon snack.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Good thing I smoke a pipe, or I'd never fit in here. I drink tea with everything. Just plain old Twinning's Breakfast Tea, loose. I rarely drink coffee at all as I feel that modern roasting totally destroys any nuance the coffee might start with. I used to like it strong myself, but I got strong by longer brewing, not by cremating the bean.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> I feel that modern roasting totally destroys any nuance the coffee might start with.


 :ask: Nobody has drunk green coffee since before the Olmec civilization. Have you been lying about your age again, Mark?


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## Spectabalis (May 17, 2010)

MarkC said:


> Good thing I smoke a pipe, or I'd never fit in here. I drink tea with everything.


Have to totally agree there Mark. English Breakfast Tea with all my pipes and different tobaccos. In fact I drink it morning, noon and night. Milk in first, no sugar or sweetener and from a CHINA CUP AND SAUCER. Quaint or what. Rarely touch coffee, cannot stand the stuff.
Roger


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

freestoke said:


> :ask: Nobody has drunk green coffee since before the Olmec civilization. Have you been lying about your age again, Mark?


Well, not green, but I hate French roast, Italian roast, etc. Just tastes like burnt mud.


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## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Well, not green, but I hate French roast, Italian roast, etc. Just tastes like burnt mud.


I wouldn't go so far as to say I _hate_ dark roasts, but you get a lot more subtle flavors in light roasts. Having said that, subtlety is not my number one priority with my first cup of the day.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

MarkC said:


> Well, not green, but I hate French roast, Italian roast, etc. Just tastes like burnt mud.


I agree. I don't care much for the darker roasts, either, at least from a cheapo dripper. Anything past City Roast definitely tastes burnt to me. When I was a kid in Europe, my mother used to hate the coffee in the restaurants, thinking they brewed it wrong, but more likely it was the dark roasts that tasted bad to her. The Columbian I buy is a light roast, possibly New England Roast but more likely American Roast; now that I've finally figured out the proper grind for my tastes (not much!), it's just super. When we were in the Azores, a little before the turn of the century, we had _meia_ _de leite_s from a very dark roast brewed in an espresso machine, but they were delicious! Go figure. Maybe that's the secret to dark roasts -- half milk and a bit of dark shredded dark chocolate on top, but then it isn't really "coffee" any more, more like dessert.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Commander Quan said:


> Turkish is my rocket fuel of choice. The stuff is so delicious, but more than one espresso cup and I'm levitating.


OK Derrick, you've stirred my curiosity. What Turkish coffee should I try first, and can you recommend an online retailer?


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

I've been meaning to get a electric kettle. and a small 2 cup teapot. I'm with Mark on the English breakfast tea for my get up and go. You get a stronger brew of tea the longer you steep the leaves. 5 mins max, any longer and the tea becomes really acidic.
Less your like Mark and like burnt tea


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

DanR said:


> OK Derrick, you've stirred my curiosity. What Turkish coffee should I try first, and can you recommend an online retailer?


Turkish coffee isn't a bean Dan. it's a grind. Almost to the point of a powder. the Starbuck instant coffee, is actually a turkish grind. If you've ever seen those grinders where ya grind your own beans at the supermarkets. you will see a turkish grind setting. Makes a strong cup thou. I've been wired for far too long, after drinking a small cup heh


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

DanR said:


> OK Derrick, you've stirred my curiosity. What Turkish coffee should I try first, and can you recommend an online retailer?


Make coffee with grinds the consistency of snuff. That's about the gist.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Oh, ok. Well, How's that different from espresso or Moka?


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

The process is completely different. The coffee is usually ground with a hand crank type spice mill to give it the fine texture, and is then mixed with sugar, and a small amount of cardamom. This is brewed in an ibrik, and is actually allowed to come right up to the boiling point before it is removed from the heat. This is done 2 or three times, and is then poured into cups from the ibrik. Once in the cup you have to allow the grinds to settle before drinking, since you are not filtering them out of the coffee. It is not that dissimilar to moka, but since your mixing the sugar and cardamom in with the coffee it has a sweetness to cut the burnt flavors, and the mouth feel, is completely different. Turkish coffee is the perfect complement to a cigar, a pipe I'm not so sure.


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

karatekyle said:


> Make coffee with grinds the consistency of snuff. That's about the* gist*.


Or the grist, as the case may be.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Commander Quan said:


> The process is completely different. The coffee is usually ground with a hand crank type spice mill to give it the fine texture, and is then mixed with sugar, and a small amount of cardamom. This is brewed in an ibrik, and is actually allowed to come right up to the boiling point before it is removed from the heat. This is done 2 or three times, and is then poured into cups from the ibrik. Once in the cup you have to allow the grinds to settle before drinking, since you are not filtering them out of the coffee. It is not that dissimilar to moka, but since your mixing the sugar and cardamom in with the coffee it has a sweetness to cut the burnt flavors, and the mouth feel, is completely different. Turkish coffee is the perfect complement to a cigar, a pipe I'm not so sure.


Derrick, thanks for the explanation. While I probably won't seek out special equipment to make this, if I ever get the opportunity to try one somewhere, I certainly will and will know what I'm getting into.

I make a strong moka most weekends and drink it pitch black. It goes great with a pipe!


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

laloin said:


> I've been meaning to get a electric kettle. and a small 2 cup teapot.


I don't have an electric, but you can't beat making a cup of tea with a kettle, a pot, and loose tea. It becomes as relaxing a ritual as loading a pipe.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm begining to think loose tea is a whole lot better, then tea bags. I did found some Yorkshire Gold tea in a Indian store. They have heaps of different teas I've never heard of. An tons of English teas


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Throwing in a change-up tonight. Instead of my usual sweet iced tea or hot coffee, going to give this a try...










Being new into hot teas, and also being it was about the only thing the local grocery store had available, and also being I've wanted to try some since this thread started... Figured it was time.


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Might have to inquire about a Tea section if this goes well.


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

DSturg369 said:


> Might have to inquire about a Tea section if this goes well.


I tried already, maybe a bit more buzz will help though! Bigelow EG was the first I'd ever had. Still enjoy it. Has a minty (herb, not toothpaste) finish. I sure enjoy Twinning's (the English Twinnings) EG though. Great stuff.


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## rogermugs (Jun 4, 2012)

As something of a tea guy I make the following suggestions:

Look for something called Big Red Robe (DaHongPao). 
The official (DaHongPao) only comes from like 5 plants, so dont pay for the "real" stuff. The stuff on the trees across the mountains are every bit as good and WAY cheaper... 

This tea is technically an Oolong, it's very light in flavor, but red in color. Unique and earthy. It's my favorite tea ever.

Secondly, if you want to get in to Green Teas check out LongJin (or Dragon Well). Its the tea that got me in to teas... .if that's too expensive you can look in to ZhuYeQing (Bamboo Leaf Green Tea), its similar to LongJin but less well known, and therefore may be cheaper.

Dont think. Just do.

(As a side note, the former will make you poop, the latter will stop you up.... neither of them very strong... but still).


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

I think I'll skip it; at my age, I can't afford to get my teas mixed up...


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Just home from work and finishing a couple sausage dogs, and now loading a bowl of 50/50, "Matured PA" & Red Rapparee... A big mug of Earl Grey is steeping. 

Cream & sugar anyone?


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

So, when it's tea time in China, would I possibly hear "I love Oolong time" ? :mrgreen:


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Someone east of the Mississippi: throw something at him!


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

Oh, I'm liking this Earl Grey thing! :cf


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## rogermugs (Jun 4, 2012)

DSturg369 said:


> So, when it's tea time in China, would I possibly hear "I love Oolong time" ? :mrgreen:


Wow. And..... Wait for it.... Wow.


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## rogermugs (Jun 4, 2012)

Once in high school when we were low on money and couldn't afford any more hookah tobacco my buddy bought some cigarette wrapping papers. Walked home and looked for something to smoke. Naturally he landed on ripping open a Lipton bag and giving it a go. Naturally it didn't go well. Man that kid got sick.


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## Irfan (Dec 18, 2011)

rogermugs said:


> Once in high school when we were low on money and couldn't afford any more hookah tobacco my buddy bought some cigarette wrapping papers. Walked home and looked for something to smoke. Naturally he landed on ripping open a Lipton bag and giving it a go. Naturally it didn't go well. Man that kid got sick.


Ah. Kids. I made a pipe out of bamboo and smoked some loose leaf tea in it. My father caught me and thought it was so hilarious that he couldn't bother getting worked up about my playing with matches. Anyway, his derisive laughter was a worse punishment than anything else he could have delivered.


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

Glad your enjoy the Earl Grey and your pipe Dale. I take my with sugar. No milk goes really well with Virginias. Va/per I learn more towards a English or Irish breakfast tea caz the strong malty will stand up the sour notes of Perique. least it does for me


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## kbiv (Jul 30, 2010)

I for one would love to see a tea forum, maybe a subforum off the coffee. I'm slowly trying to wean myself off the Dr. Pepper addiction, but still need something with the caffeine. Are green teas better in the evening? I've got some Tazo Awake, but haven't tried it for the 4am, before I crash time. I looked for some tea forums, but all were either run by the tea company or too hard to read. (Who uses yellow as a background??)


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## DSturg369 (Apr 6, 2008)

kbiv said:


> maybe a subforum off the coffee


I second the motion!


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## laloin (Jun 29, 2010)

I third the motion, since I was the OP who started the thread ha


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

kbiv said:


> Who uses yellow as a background??


Tea nerds are nefarious!


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## Wiseguy1982 (Nov 17, 2009)

laloin said:


> I'm begining to think loose tea is a whole lot better, then tea bags. I did found some Yorkshire Gold tea in a Indian store. They have heaps of different teas I've never heard of. An tons of English teas


You couldn't be more correct. Loose tea is far superior than bagged tea. This article is very informative:

Adagio Teas - Teabags vs Loose


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